Wooden's Wisdom | Leadership Resource Center

Issue 490 - "Are other people as enthusiastic about you as you are about yourself?"


Wooden's Wisdom - Volume 10	Issue 490
Craig Impelman Speaking \| Championship Coaches \| Champion's Leadership Library Login
"ARE OTHER PEOPLE AS ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT YOU AS YOU ARE ABOUT YOURSELF?" John Wooden Video Clip (1 min. 29 sec.): Coach Wooden is asked: "What is the key to sustaining a high level of excellence over time?" There are three parts to Enthusiasm, one of the cornerstones of Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success, you must be enthusiastic, your team mates must be enthusiastic and they must be enthusiastic about you. A coach/supervisor/manager/leader may be enthusiastic, hardworking, knowledgeable and focused but if team members are not enthusiastic about the leader as he/she is about him/herself the team will not reach their potential. Here are some behaviors that kill team enthusiasm: Not being open minded. Being a bad listener, interrupting people. Always thinking your idea is the best idea, always adding your better idea to their good idea (not letting team members get a win sometimes). Bad (condescending) tone of voice, poor self- control (losing your temper). Only being interested in what people can do for you, only pushing towards your goals and not understanding team members personal goals. Reminding people of past mistakes when their idea doesn't work or when they bring up a new idea. Team members not feeling you are easy to talk to (not being easy to approach). These shortcomings are often unintentional and we might not even be aware of them. I was coaching a business team and felt I was enthusiastic and generally well liked. We took a survey. In the survey I was asked to rate myself on a scale of 1-10 (10 being best) on the following statement: "I am easy to approach". I gave myself a 9. Forty + team members were asked to rate me on the following statement: "Craig is easy to approach". They gave me a cumulative score of 3. I asked our general manager why I got a score of 3 from the team. She said: "Coach people like you and appreciate your positive attitude but they don't want to talk to you about their concerns because they feel you won't really listen. You will just give them your ‘Positive Attitude" speech while interrupting them in in the process." (see items #1 and #2 above). I told the team about the survey result. I apologized and resolved to do better. We started a weekly "Trouble Shooting Contest" where people were encouraged to tell us the dumb things we were doing as a company (solutions encouraged but not required). We had a weekly meeting and gave $25 to the team member who pointed out the dumbest thing we were doing that week. With their input and me listening, we improved our performance dramatically and they felt more enthusiastic about me. Self-Awareness is critical. Coach Wooden called it Alertness on the Pyramid of Success. "We are all back round characters of someone else's movie, so be careful how you portray yourself." Ask your team members to rate you anonymously on items #'s 1-7. How's their enthusiasm for you? How's your self-awareness? Click here for personal development exercise: Issue 490. Click here for Printable Poetry: Issue 490. Yours in Coaching, Craig Impelman www.woodenswisdom.com Follow @woodenswisdom	COACH'S FAVORITE POETRY AND PROSE Loafing Under the shade of trees, Flat on my back at ease, Lulled by the hum of bees, There's where I rest; Breathing the scented air, Lazily loafing there, Never a thought of care, Peace in my breast. There where the waters run, Laughing along in fun, I go when work is done, There's where I stray; Couch of a downy green, Restful and sweet and clean, Set in a fairy scene, Wondrously gay. Worn out with toil and strife, Sick of the din of life, With pain and sorrow rife, There's where I go; Soothing and sweet I find, Comforts that ease the mind, Leaving dull care behind, Rest there I know. Flat on my back I lie, Watching the ships go by, Under the fleecy sky, Day dreaming there; From grief I find surcease, From worry gain release, Resting in perfect peace, Free from all care Edgar Albert Guest (1881-1959)
For more information visit www.woodenswisdom.com